FROM this week’s news ON: human rights and humanitarian aid [Note: Content Warning - links to distressing reports on this topic. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

 

Fromm this week’s news on human rights, noting that many issues have probably not made it into the news that I see (please note: this is a cut down and/or combined version of what I used to do):  

 

• “RSF accused of running secret execution chambers in the Sudanese capital”   https://sudantribune.com/article285516/      “‘Time is running out’ to address crisis in Sudan”   https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1149786   “The international community must give greater attention and resources to war-ravaged Sudan, where millions are “trapped in an inferno of brutal violence”, the top UN aid official in the country said”      and   “South Sudan on Edge as Its Neighbour’s War Disrupts Oil Exports”   https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/south-sudan/south-sudan-edge-its-neighbours-war-disrupts-oil-exports   “Income from oil exports is critical to keeping South Sudan’s factious elites together. The war in neighbouring Sudan has led earnings to fall precipitously, threatening instability in Juba and highlighting anew the need to bring the Sudanese conflict to a close.”     
  

 

Global/multinational and multi-category human right issues: 

 

• “Concerns grow for Chinese citizen journalist after supposed jail release”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/zhang-zhan-chinese-citizen-journalist-supposed-jail-release   “Zhang Zhan, jailed for reporting on Covid in Wuhan, has made no contact with outside world”      

 

• “Indigenous women are most affected by domestic violence but have struggled to be heard. It’s time we listened”   https://theconversation.com/indigenous-women-are-most-affected-by-domestic-violence-but-have-struggled-to-be-heard-its-time-we-listened-229720       

• “Neglecting sex and gender in research is a public-health risk”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01372-2   “The data are clear: taking sex and gender into account in research and using that knowledge to change health care could benefit billions of people.”   (which also links to   “We need more-nuanced approaches to exploring sex and gender in research”   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01204-3   “Some scientists are reluctant to investigate questions about sex and gender, particularly given today’s sociopolitical tensions around gender identity. But they should lean in and embrace the complexity.”   )     
  

 

LGBTQIASB+: 

 

• “Arson attack on four lesbian women shocks Argentina”   https://qnews.com.au/arson-attack-on-four-lesbian-women-shocks-argentina/      

 

• “LGBTIQA+ health funding disappears from federal budget”   https://qnews.com.au/lgbtiqa-health-funding-disappears-from-federal-budget/      

• “What is allyship? A brief history, present and future”   https://theconversation.com/what-is-allyship-a-brief-history-present-and-future-220668   “Apart from acknowledging evolving ideas about gender and sexuality, future LGBTQI+ allyship needs to be intersectional. This means that factors like age, social class, geography, race, language and disability count. And when barriers are broken down across sectors, like healthcare, education and housing, allies become stronger.”      

• “Queensland Police unveil apology plaque for IDAHOBIT”   https://qnews.com.au/queensland-police-unveil-apology-plaque-for-idahobit-day/      

 

• “Cumberland City Council votes to overturn ban on gay parenting books”   https://qnews.com.au/cumberland-city-council-votes-to-overturn-ban-on-gay-parenting-books/      “Sydney council reverses ban on same-sex parenting books after fiery meeting”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/15/hate-is-not-a-family-value-protesters-clash-as-sydney-council-considers-rescinding-same-sex-parenting-book-ban   “A controversial ban on same-sex parenting books at libraries in part of western Sydney has been overturned at a marathon late-night meeting after large crowds of protesters clashed outside the council chambers.   ...   The council’s u-turn followed a widespread backlash and a warning from the NSW government that Cumberland risked losing its library funding.”      
  

 

Racism: 

 

•  “Senator slams treatment of Tasmanian Aboriginal remains as backlash continues”   https://nit.com.au/11-05-2024/11342/senator-condemns-treatment-of-tasmanian-aboriginal-remains-as-backlash-continues   “... which were returned to a Tasmanian Aboriginal corporation in brown paper bags last week   ...   without warning to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre on Friday following separate coronial inquests into their origin, outraging the organisation and members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.”     
  

 

Sexism: 

 

• “‘Girls are afraid to speak’: How toxic behaviour is getting worse in Australian schools | SBS News”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/girls-are-afraid-to-speak-how-toxic-behaviour-is-getting-worse-in-australian-schools/idqvvye1y       

• a The Guardian exclusive reports:   “Victoria moves to protect sexual assault victims from defamation action for reporting crimes”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/15/victoria-sexual-assault-victims-law-bill-amendment-defamation-immunity   “Exclusive: Government hopes proposed law will encourage people to come forward to police without fear of legal action”   This could be very good     
  

 

My links for activism post may aid any activism you may decide to do on any/all of these. If you do, don’t get too fixated on specific instances of problems - important though they may well be: take a moment to also consider the broader issues these incidents and groups of incidents may suggest/reveal.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/